I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts, It belongs to Square Enix/Disney
Setting: Before BBS
For the Good of All
Five days now. Five days since Ventus had lapsed into his coma. Now that Eraqus thought about it, the boy had been a ticking time bomb since the day he had arrived. He'd barely been alive, so to speak, robotic in his nature.
And this was the result. A few questions later (plus one very guilt-ridden Terra), and Ven had fainted and had yet to wake. It had changed the mood of the castle significantly, casting a blanket of sombreness upon Eraqus' usually animated apprentices. Now, Aqua spent most of her days by Ventus' bedside, speaking and reading stories to his deaf ears. Terra wandered, sometimes training alone, often popping in to check on the two.
It was getting out of hand. Eraqus sent Aqua out of Ven's room, and then took a seat himself. The blond apprentice remained as he was, eyes closed, only his chest moving. His hair was spikey and unruly, a bit like Terra's if he dared admit it. But unlike Terra, he was small. So very, very small. A child.
For now.
It was almost ironic the situation they were in, because Eraqus knew that Ventus was some form of sleeper agent. He had formerly been Xehanort's apprentice, but Xehanort wasn't exactly known for his fondness of children. Why, then, would he take on so young an apprentice?
Fortunately βor perhaps, unfortunately β Eraqus knew why. The Keyblade War. It must have something to do with that. Ever since he had become a Master, Xehanort had been obsessed with unlocking its horrific secrets. He would do anything to see the war born anew.
Including taking on a child as an apprentice.
But how? How could Ventus carve the way to Xehanort's ambitions? Eraqus already knew that Ventus was somehow involved, hence his vow to keep Ventus safe on this world and under his watchful eye. But that didn't solve the mystery of how this tiny boy would advance Xehanort's goals. He was too young, much too young, to know anything about the Keyblade War, or to be a great warrior, so why . . .?
He thought back to his earlier description: a sleeper agent.
In his chair, Eraqus stirred uneasily. Perhaps he should think less about that and more about why Ventus had fallen into a coma. What sort of healthy young boy would collapse from a few simple questions? Something must be seriously wrong with the boy. Something about him was abnormal.
His hands curled into fists. Ventus looked like a normal child on the outside, but on the inside, what was he? For all Eraqus knew, Ventus was not human, merely a demon twisted into humanoid shape. Could this be what this sleep was about: a chance for Ventus to transform, to unlock his true power before awakening and slaying them? He'd already won over Aqua's heart, and wriggled his way into Terra's; it would not be too difficult for him to kill them.
Eraqus shook his head. He needed to stop overthinking this. The possibilities would drive him crazy.
Still . . . he knew he wasn't wrong. Ventus had a role to play in Xehanort's plans, and it would not be good.
The world darkened. The sound of water dripping outside echoed in his ears. Ventus was fated to harm the balance, the worlds. Even if the boy himself decided to follow the path of light, Xehanort would return for him. Then, everything would be for naught. Ventus would play the role Xehanort had allotted him.
And he knew. Eraqus stood. Should he allow Ventus to live under his roof, he would bring disaster upon the worlds.
Ventus couldn't be allowed to live.
He walked over to the boy's bedside. Even now, when his doom was so near, the boy refused to stir.
Eraqus raised his keyblade.
And before he could change his mind, he struck.
"NO!"
Before he could recover from the shock, Terra threw him aside. He knelt right on the edge of Ventus' bed, holding the young boy's face. Ventus had finally awoken, and his blue eyes scanned the room frantically, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"No, no, Ven." Terra's hands glowed with a Cura, but the wound was too great. With every second that passed, a little more light faded from Ventus' eyes.
A minute passed. Ventus' head lolled to the side, eyes shutting.
This time, forever.
Terra began to cry. He cradled the boy's bloody body in his arms like a doll. Eraqus could only watched, stunned into silence.
And when Terra looked at him with those tortured eyes, the Keyblade Master felt like crying.
"Why?" That was the only word Terra said.
Hoarsely, Eraqus explained himself. "It had to be done. Ventus was part of Xehanort's plans to restart the Keyblade War. He would have destroyed the universe. Do you understand me, Terra? Billions of lives would have been lost! Billions!"
Terra said nothing, sobbing.
"Terra . . ." He reached a hand out for his apprentice.
Terra ran out of the room.
Three days later, Terra ran away from home.
Eraqus never heard from him. Aqua might have, but if she did, she never told.
Six months passed. Eraqus sat alone at the kitchen table, eating his breakfast. At first glance, it would appear he was alone in the castle. That was not true. Aqua was still here, although he must admit the situation was very uncomfortable. She had not witnessed the killing, but that seemed to do little to lessen her horror. Several times, she had been on the verge of imitating Terra, but he had always managed to manipulate her into staying.
He wasn't sure where she was right now. Most likely, she was waiting for him to finish so that she could slink in and make her own breakfast. She rarely ate with him anymore.
Eraqus finished the rest of his tea and dropped his dishes in the sink. It was there, when he looked up from the faucet and out the window, that he saw them. Had he still been holding anything, he would have dropped it.
He burst outside. The sudden slam of the door made Aqua jump, and she hastily looked away from Terra and at him. Her hands were cupping the older apprentice's cheeks, and she stood so close to him they were probably breathing in each other's air. Terra had one hand between her shoulder blades; the other arm around her waist.
It troubled Eraqus. A lot. Not the idea of Aqua engaging in an intimate action with Terra, but because Terra hardly looked like himself. True, it was reasonable Terra would have changed in the months he was away, but not like this. Not this much. The boy's skin had tanned greatly, and his hair had been bleached white.
But most worrying were that his eyes had turned yellow.
"Master Eraqus!" Aqua sounded flushed, as if he had caught her in the middle of a marathon. Over her head, Terra stared at him, the ghost of a smirk on his face.
Eraqus stopped. He knew that smirk.
This wasn't Terra.
"Aqua, get back!" In one fluid motion, he pushed Aqua behind him and summoned Master Keeper, separating them from the imposter. Rage etched in every line of his face, he waited to see what would happen next.
The imposter, hands clasped behind his back, calmly said, "Eraqus, is that any way to greet an old friend?"
His mouth fell open. The smirk had made him suspect, and those words only confirmed it. This was not Terra; this was Xehanort.
"What have you done?" he choked out.
Xehanort smiled.
No. NO! He would not allow Xehanort to get away with this. No matter that he wore the face of his former apprentice, Eraqus would defeat him. He would stop Xehanort's plans in their tracks, and free Terra.
He swung β
His world erupted with pain.
Master Keeper slipped from his fingers. He fell to the ground. Above him, Xehanort smirked viciously, the expression so sharp it could draw blood.
And across from him stood Aqua, shakily holding a bloodied Rainfell.
Eraqus stared at her in disbelief. "Aqua . . ."
He could see her bite back tears. "You won't kill him too," she said.
Dear Light, no . . . "Aqua, it's not him," he gurgled frantically. "He's . . ."
Xehanort lunged at her.
